Kentucky Fried Chicken – Fortunehttp://fortune.com
Fortune 500 Daily & Breaking Business NewsFri, 09 Dec 2016 15:27:12 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/dab01945b542bffb69b4f700d7a35f8f?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngKentucky Fried Chicken – Fortunehttp://fortune.com
Fortunehttps://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/vip/fortune/assets/images/fortunelogo.pnghttp://fortune.com25040Woman Claims Maggot-Infested KFC Chicken Sent Her Son to the Hospitalhttp://fortune.com/2016/10/11/kfc-maggot-infested-chicken/
http://fortune.com/2016/10/11/kfc-maggot-infested-chicken/#respondTue, 11 Oct 2016 17:54:39 +0000http://fortune.com/?p=1824894]]>One mother is claiming she had to take her 5-year-old son to the hospital after he ate chicken from a KFC in Arkansas that later became infested with maggots.

The unnamed woman shared a video of maggot-riddled chicken to the Helena-West Helena Police Department's Facebook page, the local news station Fox13 reports. She claims that shortly after her son ate some of it he began gagging and throwing up, which promoted her to take him the emergency room.

She reportedly purchased the meal at a KFC in West Helena, Arkansas located at 789 Sebastian Street, according to Fox13.

You can watch the video here:

The woman claims that there were fly eggs in the meal the day she bought it, which became covered in larvae the next after the eggs hatched.

The woman said she reported the maggots to the local branch's manager, but no-one returned her call. Despite not being a criminal matter, the Helena-West Helena police department told Fox13 that they chose to release the video to make the public aware of the incident.

But KFC yum said its not likely this happened while the food was still in the restaurant, a company spokesperson told Fortune. After the allegations, the Health Department investigated the restaurant, but found no evidence of and pest issues, spoiled food, or anything else that would back up her claims, the spokesperson said.

“KFC follows strict food safety and handling procedures and works closely with local and state Health Departments to ensure the safety of our food and health of our guests,” the spokesman told Fortune.

The parade has been an annual, and beloved tradition since 1924. From 1942 to 1944, it was put on hold thanks to World War II. But it's been going strong ever since, and today, Macy’s is the world's second largest consumer of helium, after the U.S. government. This year, the parade comes at a challenging time. A video supposedly produced by ISIS threatened an attack on Times Square, but New York City police say an additional 1,300 officers from counterterrorism-related units will be on duty at the parade.

It’s also a challenging time for Macy’s: The retailer has seen disappointing earnings, forcing it to announcing store closings next year. No doubt Macy’s hopes the parade– and its flood of publicity–will give it a boost. (The chain is opened on Thanksgiving Day.)

Fortune dives into the numbers for a closer look at this American institution.

What does the parade cost?

Macy's is famously tight-lipped when it comes to disclosing what it pays for the parade, and this year was no exception. Fortune contacted Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade spokesman Orlando Veras to ask about the costs involved in staging the event, to no avail.

"Thanks for thinking of us," Veras said in a polite but firm tone. "Unfortunately, we do not disclose any costs associated with the production of the Macy’s Parade."

In 2013, he explained the store's rationale. "Macy’s views the Parade as a gift to the City of New York and the nation," he told NBC. "Like any good gift, you cut off the price tag when you give it, so we keep to that tradition as well."

According to the store, this year's parade will feature over 1,000 cheerleaders, dancers and clowns, as well as the 27 floats, 78-foot-long Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger balloon and countless other inanimate objects that will also be on display. That's just a fraction of everything that parade-goers can expect to see, and it doesn't even cover celebrity appearances or re-enactments of Broadway musical numbers. So whatever the cost may be, let's assume that it's not cheap.

Who are sponsors, and what do they pay?

Macy's may be paying a lot for the parade, but it's not the only dollar figure involved in bringing it to life. Many of the floats and balloons are there thanks to a wide range of businesses.

Four new balloons debut this year, courtesy of such businesses as Twentieth Century Fox and McDonald's. They join the six new floats contributed by Kentucky Fried Chicken, Ocean Spray, the Hallmark Channel and others.

Tony Michaels, CEO of the Parade Company, a nonprofit group that operates the Thanksgiving Day parade in Detroit, told Time magazine that a float can cost between $30,000 to $100,000 to build, to say nothing of any other costs associated with getting it into the parade.

Jim Andrews, senior vice president of marketing at the Chicago-based firm IEG, told Time that being a parade sponsor is worth the cost. It offers an opportunity for businesses to make themselves known outside of the usual advertising venues.

"It's harder to break through these days with traditional advertising because of the clutter and cost in some markets," he said. "Sponsoring local events is a unique way to signal that you're a good corporate citizen."

Who performs?

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will have plenty of star power on hand this year, including hockey player Marty Howe and musician Questlove. There will also be some on hand who have never performed to an audience this size. These include marching bands from high schools all over the U.S., and they're not the only young performers to make a very public splash in front of a very large viewing audience.

Hj?rdis Linn-Blanford is the former administrative director of the American Tap Dance Foundation, a non-profit organization in New York City. She was tasked with coordinating a dance performance by approximately 30 kids, aged 12 to 17, in 2005. No money changed hands for the performance, but she said that the publicity that single engagement generated was immediately apparent.

"I think it definitely increased ATDF's profile," she said. "The organization used it for many years to come and it helped build their whole profile."

She added that her perception was that the Macy's organization was specifically interested in finding acts who were hungry for publicity.

"They sort of cater to that, I felt," she said. "Macy's finds places that really want to get some play.

Who volunteers?

Linn-Blanford also said that she was struck by the degree of volunteer participation in the parade.

"They're really focused on how much it's volunteer-run and volunteer-led," she said. "A lot of people there said they used to work there, but they still come back to do it again and again. It's an intense grassroots community. People get really into coming back and being a clown."

The volunteer aspect has not gone unnoticed by the store. According to Macy's, more than 4,000 of its employees freely give up their Thanksgiving morning to take part in the festivities. This includes Roseann Levy, who will be celebrating her 60th year of march in the parade on a volunteer basis.

If previous years are anything to go by, 50 million people will be watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on television this year, and 3.5 million others will brave the elements to see it in person. To those intrepid souls, and to those who gave up a hard-won vacation day, standing outside in the bitter cold is a small price to pay to make this yearly tradition possible.

Daniel Bukszpan is a New York-based freelance writer.

]]>http://fortune.com/2015/11/24/macys-thanksgiving-parade-numbers/feed/088th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Paradewacky420KFC is bringing Colonel Sanders backhttp://fortune.com/2015/05/19/kfc-colonel-sanders-darrell-hammond/
http://fortune.com/2015/05/19/kfc-colonel-sanders-darrell-hammond/#respondTue, 19 May 2015 15:17:28 +0000http://fortune.com/?p=1127509]]>Following the news earlier this month that the Hamburglar is being brought back by McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken announced Tuesday that another beloved fast food mascot is coming back to TV: Colonel Sanders.

Commercials featuring the white-suited, Southern-accented chicken honcho, played in this iteration by Saturday Night Live alum Darrell Hammond, will start airing on May 25. The iconic mascot, based on the real founder of KFC, is being trotted out again as part of the brand’s 75th anniversary. It’s the first time in decades that the Sanders character, played by an actual actor, has been front and center in advertisements.

Bringing back the Colonel isn’t the only change KFC is making. It’s also changing packaging and the look of its restaurants, and introducing new menu items including baked beans and lemonade.

Courtesy of KFC

]]>http://fortune.com/2015/05/19/kfc-colonel-sanders-darrell-hammond/feed/0kfcbgfortunecolonelsmallerYou can actually eat KFC’s new coffee cupshttp://fortune.com/2015/02/25/kfc-edible-coffee-cup/
http://fortune.com/2015/02/25/kfc-edible-coffee-cup/#respondWed, 25 Feb 2015 18:39:21 +0000http://fortune.com/?p=1006059]]>Chicken lovers in the United Kingdom are going to have a new treat to munch on soon -- edible coffee cups.

Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants across the pond will be offering the snackable vessels by this summer, according to the website Eater. They’re made of cookie, lined with white chocolate and wrapped in edible paper.

The cups were designed by KFC with help from food scientists at experimental food company The Robin Company. Edible coffee cups have been tried before, but this is the first time a major chain has offered them to customers, according to Eater.

No word yet on when they will be available stateside.

]]>http://fortune.com/2015/02/25/kfc-edible-coffee-cup/feed/0KFC edible coffee cupbgfortuneEight strange corporate sponsorshipshttp://fortune.com/2014/06/03/strange-corporate-sponsorships/
http://fortune.com/2014/06/03/strange-corporate-sponsorships/#respondTue, 03 Jun 2014 22:08:03 +0000http://fortune.com/?p=555444]]>Corporate sponsorships are a fact of life as marketers use everything from sports stadiums to highway bathrooms as their billboards. Sometimes, though, a sponsorship just seems like it doesn’t make sense. Here are a few of the biggest head scratchers in recent memory.

Prison company tries to sponsor stadium

Photo: Rob Foldy--Getty Images

In 2013, private prison operator GEO Group agreed to pay $6 million for the naming rights to the football stadium of the Florida Atlantic University Owls. Students and community members protested the decision, and the deal was eventually cancelled. Some called the proposed stadium "Owlcatraz," according to USA Today.

The little blue pill hits the track

Mark Martin was only in his early 40s when erectile disfunction drug Viagra became his primary NASCAR sponsor. Though the car was able to use a blue similar to the drug's famous blue hue, Martin will never eclipse Bob Dole as Viagra's most famous pitchman.

Woodstock sells out

Steve Chernin--Associated Press

The original Woodstock Festival in 1969 was dedicated to free love, peace, and rock and roll. The 1999 edition was dedicated to vandalism, expensive bottled water, and Limp Bizkit. Emblematic of this was the fact that Woodstock '99 was awash in corporate sponsors, including Ace Hardware. It's hard to believe the hippies of 1969 would have been alright with that. The Ace Hardware trailers ended up being looted in the chaos of the concert.

Is KFC a health food?

The Susan G. Komen foundation has dedicated a tremendous amount of money to helping with breast cancer research. They seem less concerned with overall health, though, as the famous'y pink-toned charity has teamed up with the notably less-than-nutritious Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Monsanto and the FFA

Max Whittaker/Prime For The Washington Post--Getty

When you think Future Farmers of America, you probably think of fields of corn, small family dairy farms, and corn fed young people sidling up to a John Deere tractor--eager to continue America's agricultural tradition. When you think of Monsanto, you probably think of … different things. Still, the chemical and agricultural giant sponsors scholarships with the FFA.

Yes, there is an official Olympics condom

Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg--Getty Images

Everything at the Olympics is sponsored. The timeouts. The food. The uniforms. The sex? That's right, the Olympics has an official condom provider. For the 2012 London Games, Durex provided 150,000 condoms for the athletes' village. No word on if they were available at the McDonald's conveniently located inside the village.

Wearing your religion on the hood of your car

Photo: Jonathan Ferrey--Getty Images

Getting back to the world of NASCAR, we go from the raunchy to the pious. In advance of the 2004 release of The Passion of the Christ, driver Bobby Labonte advertised the Mel Gibson epic on his car.

McDonald's and running mix, apparently

Courtesy: Richmond Marathon/Facebook

McDonald's is a lot of things to a lot of people. It is doubtful it's "good running food" to anyone, though. Still, the fast food giant used to be the sponsor for the Richmond Half Marathon, in Richmond, Va. If anyone actually ate a Quarter Pounder before running the 13.2 miles, they'd truly be a hero.